The Primary Curriculum Framework
The Primary Curriculum Framework sets out the nature, structure and content for the curriculum. It forms the basis for high-quality learning, teaching and assessment for all children. Importantly, it aims to provide a strong foundation for every child to thrive and flourish, supporting them in realising their full potential as individuals and as members of communities and society.
This school wants to ensure :
- To nurture each child in all dimensions of his/her life
- To enable each child to live a full life and to realise their full potential through access to a broad and balanced curriculum
- To ensure that all pupils' needs and abilities can be addressed, the curriculum guidelines specify three levels of attainment:
The curriculum is presented across five curriculum areas outlining the learning children will experience in Arts Education; Language; STEM Education; Social and Environmental Education; and Wellbeing. The development and enactment of the Ethical and Values Education remains the responsibility of the relevant patron bodies. Here in St. Michael's House SNS Baldoyle we follow the Human values Curriculum.
The subject areas laid out in the revised primary curriculum are:
- Communication and Language
- STEM Education: Mathematics/ Thinking skills/Discovery skills
- Social, Environmental and Science Education (SESE)
- Arts Education:Music/ Visual Arts/Drama
- Wellbeing: Social, Personal and Health Education/Physical Education and Wellbeing
Below is a brief outline of the main aims of each subject area of the curriculum
Communication and Language
- to learn to use the senses to become more aware of people, objects and activities in the environment
- to learn to indicate needs and desires
- to learn to communicate with intention
- to make everyday choices
- to learn to use a functional or augmentative system of communication e.g. Lámh signs, objects of reference, picture-symbols etc
Mathematics/ Thinking Skills
- to learn to act purposefully on the environment
- to understand the idea of cause and effect e.g. “I made that happen”
- to develop an awareness of sequence in activities, the daily or weekly routine
- the beginning of awareness of numbers and patterns
- early problem-solving
SESE (Social, Environmental and Science Education)
- History:
- sense of passage of time throughout the day, week, year
- sense of own personal history
- learning to recall special personal events through stories, photos and video
- Geography:
- Activities to help find way around familiar environment
- to learn to associate different places with different activities
- to develop an awareness of weather and seasonal changes
- Science:
- to develop an awareness of plants and animals in the environment
- to develop an awareness of elements such as hot and cold, bright and dark, heavy and light
The Arts
- to have fun and explore a variety of attractive materials and equipment
- to use the senses to explore and appreciate the beauty of the natural environment
- to listen to and appreciate sounds in the environment
- to enjoy making sounds and performing
- to participate, take a turn and cooperate in group activities
- to improve sensory awareness through experiencing a wide range of costumes, props, stories and poetry
Wellbeing:
- to control and coordinate body movement
- to learn to use new fine and gross motor skills
- to develop my independence skills
- activities include physiotherapy, cycling, walking, standing, stretching, holding, reaching, dancing, swimming etc.
- Myself – how I look and what I can do
- Myself and Others – my family and my friends
- Myself and the Wider World – my school, my local community
The Senior Curriculum
Senior students have the opportunity where appropriate to partake in Junior Cycle Level 1 and Senior Cycle Level 1.
Level 1 Priority Learning Units (PLUs) | Curriculum Online (Junior Cycle)
Level 1 Curriculum Areas and Elective Modules | Curriculum Online (Senior Cycle)
Communication underpins all learning and is fundamental to the capacity to transfer learning. Communication and language form the foundation for all other PLUs. Learning in this unit covers both verbal and non-verbal ways of receiving and giving information. Language development requires social interaction between the student and a communication partner. Some of the students in this cohort may first need to be alerted to the fact that they live in a world outside of their own body. Communication for these students can be enabled and progressed with aids like augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), e.g. visual and object cues, verbal prompts, facial expressions, gestures, sign language (such as ISL), electronic devices, Braille (or Moon ) and the written form. Through developing communication skills students enhance their social interactions and improve their self-esteem.
Students undertaking L1LPs should be exposed to a broad literacy experience. This definition of literacy includes multi-modal literacies encompassing spoken, printed, visual and digital literacies.